The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, offering a comprehensive assessment of the global fight against TB. The report highlights encouraging progress in reducing incidence and mortality, while underscoring persistent challenges that demand urgent attention.

Global Trends

• Incidence: TB cases declined by approximately 1.7% between 2023 and 2024, with global incidence now at 131 cases per 100,000 population.

• Mortality: TB deaths continue to fall, though the pace remains slower than the ambitious targets set under the End TB Strategy (2015–2035), which calls for a 90% reduction in TB deaths and 80% reduction in incidence by 2030.

• Regional disparities: While several countries report steady declines, high-burden nations such as Myanmar and Timor-Leste continue to face incidence rates exceeding 480–500 per 100,000 population, reflecting uneven progress across regions.

India’s Achievements

India, which carries the largest share of the global TB burden (25%), has demonstrated significant gains:

• TB incidence: Reduced from 237 per lakh in 2015 to 187 per lakh in 2024 (21% decline).

• TB mortality: Dropped from 28 per lakh in 2015 to 21 per lakh in 2024 (25% decline).

• Treatment coverage: Expanded from 53% in 2015 to over 80% in 2024, narrowing the detection gap and strengthening case management.

• Drug-resistant TB: Despite progress, India continues to add nearly 99,000 new drug-resistant TB cases annually, posing a major challenge to elimination efforts.

 Persistent Challenges

• Drug resistance: Rising multidrug-resistant TB cases threaten treatment success and require urgent innovation.

• Health system gaps: Inadequate regulation of TB drugs and uneven access to care persist in many regions.

• Slow decline: Although India’s pace of reduction outperforms global averages, it remains insufficient to meet the 2025 elimination target.

Strategic Priorities

The report emphasizes the need for:

• Early detection and rapid diagnostics to close the gap in case identification.

• Expanded treatment coverage with patient-centered approaches.

• Digital health tools and surveillance systems to strengthen monitoring and reporting.

• Public-private partnerships to ensure equitable access and sustained community engagement.

Conclusion

The Global TB Report 2025 is both a testament to progress and a reminder of unfinished work. India’s achievements are commendable, yet the path to elimination requires accelerated action, innovation, and unwavering political commitment. Tuberculosis remains preventable and curable—defeating it will demand that global and national strategies move faster, smarter, and more inclusively.